Egg carton



J. P. HALE EGG CARTON Sept. 3, 1935.

Filed Aug. 7, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 3, 1935.

V J. P. HALE EGG CARTON Filed Aug. 7, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 a a Z verse partitions.

Patented Sept. 3, 1935 UNITED STATES aoiasos EGG CARTON John P. Hale, Bufialo; N. Y., asslgnor to Leon Benoit, New York, N. Y.

Application August 7, 1931, Serial No. 555,704

1 Claim. (01. 22929) This invention relates to improvements in collapsible cartons of the cell or compartment type and particularly to cartons designed for packaging eggs.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a collapsible carton of this character in which the body thereof, including a longitudinal partition. is made from a single blank of material and wherein individual transverse partitions are employed which are detachably interlocked with the body and longitudinal partitions of the carton.

-A further object is to so design the carton that the same can be readily set up for use in a minimum period of time, and which is strong and durable in construction.

A further object of the invention is the provision of improved means for holding the cover in its closed position.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a. carton con-- structed in accordance with my invention. Figure 2 is a longitudinal section thereof. Figures 3 and 4 are transverse sections taken on the correspondingly numbered lines in Figure 2. Figure 5 is a perspective view of one of the trans- Figure 6 is a top plan view of the blank from which the body portion of the carton is made.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

In its general organization, this improved carton comprises a body portion made of a' single blank of material, such as cardboard, including side walls, a bottom, a longitudinal partition rising from the bottom and cover-sections, and individual transverse partitions disposed between the side walls and straddling the longitudinal partition and having tongues at their opposite side edges and along their longitudinal partltion-engaging edges adapted for interlocking engagement with the adjoining portions of the carton-body.

The blank Ill, from which the body of the carton is formed, is rectangular in shape and is provided with three main, parallel scorings orcreases ll, l2 and I3, the scoring l3 being arranged substantially mid vay of the body and the scorings II and I2 being arranged adjacent the opposite side edges thereof to form cover-sections I4, Hi. The resulting central or intermediate portions of the blank-body defined within the area of these scorings and indicated by the numeral l6 jointly form the side walls 11 and the contiguously disposed. bottom walls l8 walls, bottom walls and the longitudinal partition IS a plurality of egg cells or compartments;

These transverse partitions are detachably interlocked with the side walls and the longitudinal partition in such a. manner that the side walls are effectually held against lateral displacement and the V-shaped longitudinal partition is'positively held against spreading apart, the wholeassembly being thereby reliably held together in a unitary structure without danger of collapse or separation of any of its parts. To accomplish these ends, the transverse partitions 2| are provided at their opposite side edges with tongues or projections 22 which are adapted to engage corresponding slots or openings 23 formed in the side walls I? and which are provided at their upper ends adjacent their junctions with the adjoining edges of the transverse partition with upwardlyfacing notches 24 forming resulting shoulders or tabs 25 which look behind the opposing upper ends of said slots 23, as seen in Figure 3. Each of the transverse partitions is shaped to straddle the V-shaped longitudinal partition and for this purpose is provided in its lower edge with a notch or recess 26 and the upper portion or fold of this longitudinal partition has corresponding slots or openings 21 transversely in line with the slots 23 with which the adjoining portions of the transverse partitions immediately above theirnotches 26 are adapted to engage. By this construction, the transverse partitions are formed with depending portions 28 on either side of their notches 26, which portions occupy the longitudino.1 channel ways formed between the longitudinal partition and the side walls 11 of the carton. Those edges of the transverse partitions which contact with the adjoining walls l1, I8 and the flaring portions of thelongitudinal partition I!) are uniformly curved and the edges of the locking tongues 22 blend into the curved side edges of such partitions, as seen in Figures 3 and 4. It will also be noted that the upper ends of the transverse partitions contract or are longitudinal partition l9, and as shown in the drawings, these means preferably consist of 0ppositely facing tongues 29 projecting from the opposing lower edges of the partition notches 26 and adapted to engage corresponding notches 3|! formed in the flaring walls of the longitudinal partition, as seen in Figures 3 and 4. These tongues 29 have shoulders 3| at their upper ends which abut against the corresponding edges of their companion notches 30 to prevent relative vertical displacement between the transverse partitions and the longitudinal partition, as well as prevent the spreading of the latter. The opposing edges of the companion tongues 29 are preferably flared downwardly and outwardly, as indicated at 32, and their opposing upper cornersabut against'each other as seen in Figures 3, 4 and 5. r

In assembling the carton, the transverse partitions 2| are held by a suitable rack in proper spaced relation and the preformed blank I0 is placed beneath the same, after which the longitudinal partition I9 is folded into place by a suitable blade or like element to bring the same into semi-interlocked engagement with the notches 26 and tongues 29 of the transverse partition,

" said notches drawing the top fold of the longitudinal partition together. The bottom walls IB and side walls I I are then brought upwardly about the side edges of the transverse partitions and interlocked with the tongues 22 thereof. After these operations, the longitudinal partition is again forced upwardly into snug engagement with the partition-notches 26, which results in a downwardly and inwardly pulling action on the side and bottom walls l1 and I8, respectively, to

reliably interlock the partition-tongues 22 with the slots 23 and the tongues 29 with the slots 30.

For the purpose of effectually holding the cover-sections l8, l5 in their closed position without the use of adhesives or other fastenings, I preferably provide one of the cover-sections, say

' the section l4, with lateral extensions 33 adjacent each end thereof each of which terminates at its opposite edges in tabs 3% formed by longitudinal cuts or slits 35 and transverse scorings 36, as seen in Figure 6. These tabs are bent downwardly above the scorings and are adapted to be inserted in transverse slots or openings 31 'formed in the companion. cover-section i5. Up-

on being inserted in these slots, the tabs have a tendency to spread apart either of their own accord or by the eggs in the adjoining compartments of the carton to effectually hold the coversections closed. To resist endwise displacement of the cover-sections, I provide. the section IS with flaps 38 located adjacent the ends thereof and of a length corresponding to that of one of the egg-compartments. These flaps are formed by the provision of longitudinal scorings 39 and transverse cuts or slits 40 and are bent downwardly about the-scorings to a position adjoining the longitudinal partition [8, as shown in Figure 4.

I claim as my invention:-

A cellular holder for eggs and the like, comprising parallel folded slotted blank portions forming inclined side walls of a pair of substantially V-shaped troughs, bifurcated pwtitions fitted transversely between the inclined walls of said troughs, an edge of each leg portion of a bifurcated partition .being' formed with a trough supporting tongue which extends downwardly through a side slot in the trough wall adjacent an unslotted side portion thereof to the plane of the bottom of the troughs, and the inner and outer edges of each ,leg portion of a partition having oppositely extending and upwardly facing shoulders adapted to interlock with slots of the trough walls, whereby to shape and support the inclined walls of the blank thereupon.

JOHN P. HALE. 

